Sunday, 20 September 2015

and one showing what we got with the money received from *** to treat ourselves. We loved it! So tell *** thank you from us, it really made our day!

I have only got two hours to email! I try to reply as I want to keep on hearing from people! I understand how hard it is to email someone on their mission! What I tend to do is copy and paste a story from the week into the email then answer any questions and ask them how they are doing! It usually fills up the time nicely! I always love to see that people care, it lifts my spirits and I like to thank them! I make you then the mission president the prioritise then I email others if I can! Especially those closest friends that I miss loads! Haha!

So yeah, the last week has been pretty good! We have been continuing to teach R*, taught her four times now, Had members with us for three of those lessons! So that made a huge difference in helping her! It was interesting, we had planned to teach a lesson with one our American members in the ward and prior to the lesson, I started to feel really worried that he was going to see how bad of a teacher I am! I was scared that he would talk to people about the rubbish English missionary! Haha! But we went in, taught R* the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I think that it was one of our best lesson! It was amazing! There were three of us teaching and it worked! Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, yesterday when we taught R* we asked her if she would be baptised on the 11th October and she said yes! Haha! So that is pretty exciting!

We have been working a lot with the ward council recently, trying to get them pumped about missionary work! Haha! And Brother F* (someone you have heard from on Facebook I believe) taught us something amazing, that we need to build our own faith before we share it with others. We should make it part of who we are. He likens it to finding an amazing free restaurant! If we really understand how amazing the gospel is, sharing it will come naturally!

It came at about9.30am we were in companionship study at that point! We heard the buzzer, and was like "what was that?". We hadn't heard it before, then I looked out the window and said "it's ASDA!" And ran for the door! It was really good! A few substitutes! One for the beef and grapes! And then substitutes for the jelly babies and shortcakes! But I wasn't bothered, we had some shopping!

It's been a fun week! At the moment I am in the ward clerk's office and am emailing till the zone leaders and the Crawley elders get here, we are going to be playing some football!

On Sunday we had a mission fast for The Season of Miracles! Just to let you know, President Gubler had a vision of our mission having a season of miracles. Just like when the church was first established in England, where there were 1000's of baptisms, it is going to happen again! All the missionaries in the England London South mission have been preparing themselves spiritually by improving their faith. We have all been challenged to read the Book of Mormon between 6/12 weeks (depending on if you are new!), with three questions in mind: Who am I? Who is He (Jesus Christ)? As a disciple of Jesus Christ, I will...? So yesterday's fast was all about asking Heavenly Father to open the floodgates to the season of miracles! It is super exciting!

Last week we were able to meet our goal of having 20 lessons! So we loved that!The youth doing well then? I miss them loads! I think of them all the time! They are amazing! I was lucky to be with them.

Sunday, 6 September 2015

Some anxieties this week as we waited (perhaps not so) patiently for an email from Elder Reynolds on Monday, which did not arrive.

Eventually, the email arrived on Tuesday.

Hi Mum,

So this is my email for this week! Today is P-Day because of moves but I'm staying!

A couple of photos were added. Unfortunately, no explanation as to who the gentleman is. Possibly a random person they met in the street and wanted to have a photograph with his motor bike. Hopefully there will be a bit of an explanation next week.

I was in the hairdressers today and One Direction was on, I was like "opposition comes in weird ways, it seems like all the good music and films have come out as I have left!" Haha! It doesn't bother me too much though! I'm just happy to be doing what I am doing! So yeah, today I had my first proper missionary haircut! It was fun! I feel great! Recently, I have found a way of staying positive! And its by singing Bring Me Sunshine (Morcambe and Wise) I was singing it the other day in the rain, and I felt great! We went knocking on doors and the rejections didn't bother me!

We had an amazing experience yesterday, we went to visit a referral! We were on the train to visit her and then I received a call, and it was her! She asked when we were able to come over to bring her the Book of Mormon, and I said "how about in the next 20 minutes?" So we walked over, went into her house and taught her about the Restoration! It was brilliant! She told us that she had been listening to the Book of Mormon on the internet and she knew that it was true! She doesn't feel ready for baptism yet but she will be praying about it! Its mega exciting!

Its been fun this transfer and ever since I came into the field as I have been studying the Book of Mormon everyday! I love it! It has really built my faith in Christ! I am starting to fully understand what he has done for us! Also, another interesting this in the Book of Mormon that I loved is the soldier in Alma 44:12-15. He is amazing! You should get Malachi to read that chapter! Haha! What an amazing example the soldier is to just stand up like that!

For some reason talktalk decided that we were no longer allowed to receive emails. Rather than contact us they just prevented them from getting through.

Anyhow there are a few extracts from Elder Reynolds' email from the week commencing 24th August 2015. He hadn't written very much as he had written a whole load for Malachi as he was celebrating his 10th birthday.

The photograph is from Malachi's baptism 2 years ago. He had asked Isaac to baptise him.

Now today is a special day, it is your day, it is the day we all celebrate when Malachi Joseph Reynolds came into our lives. Now you are 10 years old, you are getting more and more grown up... Just know that you have your family right behind you! I may be far away, but I am here if you need anything!